Once the Los Angeles Lakers drafted guard D'Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, their free-agency plan quickly became apparent with the appropriate initials: LA.
LakersNation.com is reporting that Portland Trail Blazers free agent LaMarcus Aldridge is now most intrigued with the Lakers, per a tweet from the Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch.
Heard that LaMarcus Aldridge was leaning toward Lakers, a sign that their brand is not only back but never went away despite appearances.— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) June 30, 2015
Signing LaMarcus Aldridge could have consequences for the San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers have $23 million in cap space and can offer Aldridge a four-year, $80 million contract to 6-11 big man who averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Blazers last season.
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The team met with Aldridge at 9:01 p.m. Pacific Time, the first allowable time free agents can meet with prospective teams, the Los Angeles Times reported. That Aldridge is meeting with the Lakers first has to be a very good sign for the franchise.
The San Antonio Spurs long have been considered the front-runners for the services of the soon-to-be 30-year-old Aldridge, a Dallas native. But questions exist as to how much the Spurs can offer Aldridge, based on the fact that they had 10 free agents entering the offseason, including Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard.
The Dallas Mavericks also are said to be in the running for Aldridge's services.
The decision seems to be whether Aldridge wants to be the focus of the Lakers' rebuilding project or a piece of the San Antonio franchise that can compete for an NBA championship next season.
According to Bleacher Report, Aldridge owns a home near Kobe Bryant in Newport Beach, Calif.
"If a torch ever needs to be passed, Aldridge and Bryant can do it over dinner at Javier's Cantina, a favorite restaurant of both."
The Lakers also have another motive for signing Aldridge that has something to do with another number, Bleacher Report indicated.
"Aside from his fitting initials, Aldridge's signing would be ideal because of his uniform number: 12. The Lakers would like nothing better than to close the book on all the ugliness of the Dwight Howard experiment by meshing Aldridge's arrival with their uptick in optimism now."
After two seasons of disappointment during the free-agency period, the Lakers are hoping that Aldridge erases their frustration.
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